Books open doors in our minds. Here are 4 must-read books especially for novel lovers, and you should read them at least once in your life.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
It is the story of the unlikely and complicated friendship between Amir, the son of a wealthy merchant, and Hassan, the son of his father's servant until cultural and class differences and the war tear them apart. It's a story about the long shadows that family secrets cast across decades, the enduring love of friendship, and the transformative power of forgiveness.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
This Newbery award-winning novel tells the story of Annemarie, a Danish girl growing up in World War Ⅱ Copenhagen with her best friend, Ellen, who happens to be Jewish. When Annemarie learns that the Nazis are inflicting (迫害) on the Jewish people, she and her family make every effort to protect Ellen and her parents, as well as countless other Jews. Lowry's novel is a powerful reminder that cultural and religious differences are no divide between true friends.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
When 11 year-old orphan Anne Shirley goes to live with the middle-aged brother and sister Matthew and Manila Cuthbert, she discovers that there's been some mistake and that they had actually wanted to adopt a boy. This is a heartwarming story of love and friendship and a reminder that sometimes life not working out the way we want it to is actually the best thing that can happen.
The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
It tells the story of a little boy who falls to Earth from an asteroid after visiting several other asteroids to try to understand mankind. The Little Prince is an allegory (寓言) about the foolishness of man and man's tendency toward self-destruction through violence, as well as a heartwarming tale of the transformative power of friendship and trust.
Su Min, a 56-year-old retiree, has never been happier. After fulfilling her family's expectations of dutiful Chinese womanhood, Ms. Su is embracing a new identity: fearless traveller and Internet celebrity. For six months, she has been on a solo drive across China, documenting her journey for more than 1.35 million followers across several social media platforms.
Ms. Su had rarely traveled before. But she had long been eager for driving. Growing up in Tibet, she sometimes missed the school bus home and had to walk 12 miles through the mountains. Each time a truck passed by, she imagined sitting behind the wheel, safe and Comfortable. But cars were rare, and having one seemed impossible. After marriage, she put her heart and soul into taking care of her home, her children, grandchildren, shouldering endless housework at home
Then, in late 2019, she came across a video online of someone introducing their camping gear while on a solo road trip. She remembered her childhood dream of driving—the freedom and comfort it had represented. Over the following months, she watched every video about road trips. She took a lot of notes: which apps they used to find campsites, which tricks they had for saving money. Soon, Ms. Su made up her mind: Once her grandsons entered preschool, she would start a trip of her own. She had bought a small several years earlier with her savings and a monthly pension of around 2100 yuan On Sept. 24, she fixed her tent to the top of the car and set off although her daughter worried about her safety. She visited historical Xi'an, mountainous Sichuan and the old town of Lijiang—covering more than 8,500 miles so far.
She posted video updates as she drove. In her videos, she was surprised at her newfound freedom. She could drive as fast as she wanted brake as hard as she liked. Ms. Su says, "I've been a wife, a mother and a grandmother, and I came out this time to find myself. It took me so many years to realize that I had to live for myself." And she plans to cover all of China. That could take a few years.
For many people, Christmas can be a magical day filled with delight. But for those down on their luck or disadvantaged, it can be a time of sorrow and disappointment. That's why the countries of the British Commonwealth have set aside the day after Christmas as Boxing Day, and its purpose was to bring a bit of magic to those who could use it. So what is Boxing Day all about apart from being the day after a Christmas and a time when many of us flock to the sales?
Every December 26, going at least as far back as 1833, the United Kingdom and other countries that are part of the British Commonwealth—including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India—have observed Boxing Day as an opportunity to provide some holiday joy to those who most need it.
There are competing stories behind the name Boxing Day. One is that it refers to the giving of "Christmas boxes," a term that originated in the 17th century to describe gifts, money and other leftovers from Christmas that would be given to their servants and employees for having worked on Christmas Day. Basically, Christmas Boxes were holiday bonuses for the working class. The other is that it refers to the "alms boxes" that would traditionally appear in churches for the purpose of collecting money which would be distributed to the poor. The name is a reference to charity donations
The day is still a national holiday in many parts of the British Commonwealth, and while some people still give back to the less fortunate on Boxing Day, it now has the same meaning with spending up big at a department store.
This year, on December 26, consider observing your own charitable Boxing Day Extend longstanding traditions of giving. To borrow from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, your heart just may grow three sizes… instead of your wallet shrinking three sizes!
Last month, a study was published that examined climate change's direct effects on Earth's seasons. Scientists found a connection between climate change and the temperature and duration of the summer season. If left unaccounted for, summers in the Northern Hemisphere could last nearly six months by the year 2100 if global warming continues in its tracks, according to the study. With the seasons off-balance, it will further domino with harmful effects for human health and agriculture.
Yuping Guan, a physical oceanographer at the State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his colleagues combined daily climate data from 1952-2011 to get a sense of the start and end of each season in the Northern Hemisphere. Over a nearly 60-year period, they discovered that summers grew, on average 78 to 95 days long, while winters on average shortened from 76-73 days. The spring and autumn seasons also reduced. Guan and his team used the findings from the data to create a model to hypothesize（假设）how the seasons can possibly change in the future. They found that if left untouched summers in the Northern Hemisphere could last nearly six months, while winters could deplete to less than two months.
If Earth's seasons continue to shift, it brings negative risk among human health and agriculture. Longer and hotter summers, for example, can cause mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects to potentially "expand" their scope and land in places they're usually not found. "Because seasons influence the life cycles of plants and animals, climate change could disrupt species' ability to adapt. Scott Sheridan, a climate scientist also added, "If seasons start changing, everything isn't going to change perfectly as they should. If we take an example of flowers coming out of the ground, those flowers could come out, but bees aren't there to pollinate (授粉) yet or they're already past their peak." With negative effects like these, human health and agriculture face hardships moving forward.
This study further demonstrates how harsh climate change is on humans, plants and animals, reminding us how much we are all connected within the environment we share.
My sense of direction is absolutely rubbish. I can find my way to the toilet in a restaurant easily enough because there are signs pointing me in the right direction, but getting back to my table is another story. After all, there are no helpful signs saying, "". How do we find our way around?
Nowadays, of course, it's extremely good to rely on GPS rather than commit a long, complicated route to memory. , it's better to put the Satellite Navigation away. In a University of Nottingham study, drivers who'd followed step-by-step GPS instructions found it harder to work out where they'd been and even failed to notice they'd been past some places twice. Studying a larger map and memorizing the route before you set out, on the other hand, does have its benefits because the amount of mental energy it requires means it's more likely to stick in your mind.
. It's important to notice what's around you—in all directions. Instead of staring straight ahead, make sure you look up, down and behind you as well. This will come in particularly useful when you're doing the journey in reverse (相反) —even if it's just finding your way back from the toilet in a restaurant.
. It's all too easy to panic if you suspect you may be lost—but this sudden burst of anxiety will only increase your cognitive load and prevent you from calmly working out which way to go. Besides, getting lost is one of the best ways to discover new places and add more detail to that ever-growing mental map.
A. Watch out for the toilet
B. Staying watchful is key, too
C. But when you focus on your GPS
D. Finally, try to relax when you're on unfamiliar ground
E. This is where you were sitting less than five minutes ago
F. But if you really want to improve your sense of direction
G. It will help you become a better navigator in the long term
As a young girl with a disability, I know firsthand that growing up can be very challenging. 1, I found my shelter in volunteering—a safe place to discover my wings.
In my early days of volunteering, my path crossed with a little girl Sara. She was full of life and had a great 2 for nature and animals. Unfortunately, 3 struck her. While horseback riding, she was thrown off the horse. Her injuries were so 4 that she was in a coma (昏迷) —a state that she is 5 of their surroundings but cannot reach out to it.
I volunteered to help Sara to use her _6 as a means of reaching her. I would talk about fragrance she smelled and the objects we put in her hands. Although her eyes remained closed all the time, Sara gradually learned to 7 "yes" or "no" through the movement of her eyelids. These small steps were greatly 8.
One day, I 9 a rabbit on her lap, talking about the softness of his fur. Suddenly, Sara began to feel his fur. How excited everyone was. Many times we would 10 whether she was really hearing us. It was like seeing your loved ones 11 behind a wall of dark glass. You know they are in there, but you aren't 12 if they realize you are near them.
As summer drew to an end, I had to 13 Sara. I could see tears running down her face. Suddenly, it hit me: We can deeply touch each other's lives without even sharing a 14. The sound of a voice, the gentle touch of a hand carries a loving message that can help 15 the wounds of life.
"Animals are a who, not a what," animal advocates say. Animal rights activists, including Jane Goodall, want writers — take guidance from the Associated Press Stylebook — to stop referring to an animal as "it."
Animals are a part of some of the most important (story) being told right now, but they are not always given voice. We have learned much about how intelligent, social, complex and unique as individuals they are, and we know they are important. But many times, they (describe) as if they are merely objects whose lives and interests don't deserve further (consider) on our part.
Jane Goodall points out that when she (start) her research, she was told that her findings and approaches, such as (give) names to chimpanzees, were wrong. She was told that the belief that they have emotions was also (correct).
"But we know that animals feel joy, pain grieve; We are not separate other species," Goodall adds. We must recognize that every individual nonhuman animal is a 'who,' not a 'what.'
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A Plastic Ocean a film to make you think. Think, and then act. We need to on plastic. We've been plastic in huge quantities since the 1940s. We live in a world full of plastic, and only a small part is . What happens to all the rest? This is the question the film A Plastic Ocean answers. It is a documentary that looks at the impact that plastic waste has on the .
The film begins as a journey to film the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale. But during the journey the filmmakers make the discovery of a huge, layer (层) of plastic floating in the middle of the Indian Ocean. This causes them to travel around the world to look at other areas that have been . We see how marine species are being killed by all the plastic we are dumping in the ocean. The message about our use of plastic is obvious.
But the film doesn't only present the side. In the second half, the filmmakers look at what we can do to reverse the tide of plastic flowing around the world. They present short-term and long-term . These include avoiding plastic containers and * single-use5 plastic products as much as possible.
"Look." Mom waved a flyer in front of the television. "Summer field trips for sixth-graders. Nature. Exercise. Fresh air."
"No, thanks," I said, still working the remote.
"You'll love hiking, Jimmy, she said. "Besides, couch potatoes need exercise."
"But —" "If you don't like the first one, you don't have to go again," she said before I could finish.
OK, I thought. Just one day.
That day was the hottest on record. The moment I woke up, I started to sweat. I got dressed. Long pants tucked into heavy socks, T-shirt, boots, backpack, water bottles. All required for the hike.
As we boarded the school bus, I met Mr. Hawkins, our guide. The bus finally stopped near a forest, and we got out. Our destination for the day was "the Lemon Squeeze." But I had no idea what that was.
We quickly started our hiking after we got off the bus. Ahead, some kid kicked an old tree stump. A girl suddenly screamed and ran. A buzzing noise grew louder. Wasps (黄蜂)! Mr. Hawkins drove away the wasps with his shirt and we managed to run away.
We continued hiking for another hour until Mr. Hawkins decided that we should stop for lunch. It was too hot for anyone to complain, because complaining would only make it worse. What's worst was more hiking. It was getting hotter and hotter. Mr. Hawkins kept telling us to keep drinking water to keep hydrated. We drank, and sweated.
Water was low. Up ahead was a crossroads.
"OK, folks," Mr. Hawkins said. "This heat is fierce. Do we finish, or do we take this shortcut back to the bus? It's a quarter mile uphill from here to our destination."
I closed my eyes. Please, someone, say GO BACK TO THE BUS! I didn't want to be the wimp (懦弱的人).
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However, nobody spoke.
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I stumbled (蹒跚) of the bus, dirty and tired.
